Epson faces lawsuit over patents
January 9, 2025
K.Mizra alleges Epson infringed multiple patents, targeting its multifunction printer technologies.
K.Mizra LLC, a US-based patent licensing firm, has filed a lawsuit against Epson America, Inc. and Seiko Epson Corporation in the Central District of California. The case accuses the printer OEM of infringing four patents originally developed by Sharp Corporation and now owned by K.Mizra.
The disputed patents, transferred to K.Mizra as part of a broader acquisition strategy, cover innovations in user interfaces, document reading devices, power-saving features, and networked systems for managing consumables. The company claims Epson’s popular WorkForce and EcoTank multifunction printers (MFPs) unlawfully incorporate these patented technologies.
Central to the complaint is Epson’s alleged direct infringement and inducement of infringement through the marketing and sales of its printers. K.Mizra alleges that Epson, despite receiving notice of potential infringements as early as 2021, continued to deploy the contested technologies without licensing agreements.
Notable among the patents is U.S. Patent No. 10,018,938, which details a system for monitoring toner levels and automating replenishment. K.Mizra contends that Epson’s ReadyInk service, enabling automatic ink delivery, directly utilises the patented methodology. Other contested patents include claims regarding Epson’s multifunction devices’ user interfaces and document feeders.
K.Mizra seeks damages amounting to no less than a reasonable royalty, alongside enhanced compensation for what it describes as wilful infringement by Epson.
Categories : Around the Industry
Tags : Epson Infringement Lawsuit Patents Technology
